Six U.K. Houses Create Playhouse Disney Shorts

Playhouse Disney has recruited six U.K. production houses to develop a series of short animated films that help teach preschoolers about the environment in a fun and playful way. The interstitials form part of Playhouse Disney's "Playing for the Planet" campaign, which aims to help the next generation of preschoolers to grow up green. The project brought together production companies Bermuda Shorts, Artillery, Mr & Mrs Smith, Fold7, Studio AKA and Partinzan Lab.

Each production house was briefed to take a complex environmental issue and reduce it down to a single idea or example that a preschooler could easily understand. Each spot empowers kids by illustrating the simple actions that they can take themselves or with their families, and shows them the positive impact they can have on the environment.

The films, which span a range of styles including animation and puppetry, each take a specific environmental theme: saving water, recycling, reducing pollution, preserving nature, saving energy and spreading the "green" message. The stories are rooted in domestic settings, the environment preschoolers know best, and the area they really can make a difference.

The "Playing for the Planet" interstitials are the second series from Playhouse Disney and will air on the channel in November.